If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

BSD question

I've been thinking about trying out one of the BSDs, but don't know much about the differences. Can somebody tell me what the difference is between NetBSD, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD? And which is easier for the BSD newbie?

Mostly its a matter of preference, but there are some significant differences.

Free BSD- FreeBSD is a very stable OS, who is known mainly for great uptime. It has pretty good hardware support , and runs Linux code with ease.

Open BSD- Is developed with the main goal of security. It is their goal to be the #1 OS for security (and probably are already in my opinion). They have a very good track record, and is considered secure "out of the box"- meaning services are disabled by defualt, but mainly it could be considered secure imediatly following a fresh install. A great deal of effort is also spent thoroughly checking code for any potential security risks. On the downside OpenBSD doesn't have as good hardware support as FreeBSD. From what I hear from others it is also harder to configure than FreeBSD, and it is a little harder to port Linux apps over.

NetBSD- is known for its portability, its available to a huge list of platforms. I don't know too much else.

Just a side note- I just got a copy of OpenBSD 3.0, I'm planning on installing it on an old computer I have comming to me.

I perfer OpenBSD because im a security freak.....install is not the most friendly for any of the bsd's
My mentor a few years ago gave me freeBSD as my first *inx and well i became a little unsure....but now all i run is BSD
as for netBSD iv got it running on a sega dreamcast